Cell-recognizable PV-sugar

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Cell-recognizable PV-sugar:

Poly vinyl (PV) polymers have been in existence for years, and numerous PV polymers are in use for everyday life. However, designing of cell-recognizable PV polymers and their application in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and drug/gene delivery is rather novel and exciting. Our pioneering works have successfully introduced some novel PV polymers, which are composed of sugar molecules and can interact with selective cells via receptor-mediated biomolecular cell-recognition mechanism, and suggesting their enthralling prospect in biomedical field. For example, glucose-derivatized polymer, poly-(N-p-vinylbenzyl-1,2-D-glucuronamide) (PV6Gna), recognizes ASGPR of hepatocyte, and therefore PV6Gna can selectively be applied for hepatocyte purification those to be used in regenerative medicine protocol or hepatocyte targeted drug delivery. We also reported that poly-(N-p-vinylbenzyl-4-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-D-gluconamide (PVLA) and amphiphilicgalactose-derivatized poly-(6-O-p-vinylbenzyl-D-galactose) PV6Gal substituted with N-p-vinylbenzylchloride to OH at C-6 of D-galactose were useful for hepatocyte culture as an artificial cell adhesion matrix. Hepatocytes cultured on these matrices maintained a highly hepatic function involving albumin synthesis and cytochrome P450 induction compared with collagen matrix, which is significantly advantageous for relevant regenerative medicine and tissue engineering application as well as an effective tool for toxicological study of drug molecules. Additionally, nanoparticles coated with such cell-recognizable polymers could be highly efficient for site directed drug or gene delivery system.